immersion 3, disc 2 - sleep chamber by steve roachi absolutely love this set! nobody does atmospheric space music better than steve! the textures and timbres on this piece are deep and wide. they flow around, through, above and below each other seamlessly.

Bill Binkelman

Pat Metheny and Charlie Haden - Beyond the Missouri SkyNice mellow music while preparing a beef and broccoli stir-fry... just a bass and a guitar (well, some very minimal synths here and there) and loads of atmosphere

Years ago, I picked up a curious little box set by OMIT called "QUAD". It was a triple CD set, with insanely detailed and obsessive notes outlining the sounds contained therein. I tried to get into it, but it was so busy, so dense with ideas that it just never clicked. I finally sold it a few years ago.

I recently discovered that I had MP3's of these disks on a backup drive, so tonight I'm giving them another listen. WOW. I mean, WOW. This is really, really interesting; a crazy sound collage, sometimes just loops of environmental sounds, sometimes odd voices, strange clangs, weird instrumental interludes, and a whole lot more. I wish I still had the box set; this is really clicking with me now.

So sorry, no picture to be found online...

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I wish I was a Glowworm; a Glowworm's never glum. 'Cause how can you be grumpy, when the sun shines out your bum?

I'm retroactively looking into Alison Krauss after the wonderful recent disc with Bob "Percy" Plant. So I'm listening to "New Favourite" (with her group Union station). It's quite nice but I think she'd really soar with more sophisticated arrangements which are hinted at on the "Raising Sand" CD.

Like the Portuguese singer Madradeus (whose voice Alison's recalls at points) the supporting band doesn't quite push far or high enough to reach the sublime. Maybe next time? Or is the Nashville milieu too conservative?

I too am about to delve into other Alison Krauss music based on the latest release. She has a track on a compilation cd, "Beautiful Dreamer - The Songs of Stephen Foster", that I love. The track is called "Slumber My Darling" & features Krauss & Yo Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer and Mark O'Connor. It is absolutely gorgeous! Worth the price of the cd alone.

Celer - Bells (great loop based drones)Loscil - Stases (more fine drones)Tom Heasley - Where The Earth Meets The Sky (I don't think a description is needed as most know about this man and his awesome set of pipes!)

Based on the description on the Native State web site I expected this to be edgier and glitchier, but I'd say overall it's very accessible and fun, even "catchy," nothing off-puttingly experimental here. I'd call it well-crafted, lower-tempo techno with occasional glitch elements, and very prominent melodic/musical content. In thinking of how to describe it, I keep wanting to use the word "fun." Definitely will be getting regular play around here.

Another case of confounded expectations from Native State Records (see mini-review of Kilowatts CD above). Based on what I knew of Marsen Jules, and what else I'd heard of Native State, I expected this to be much more rhythm-oriented and with a brighter, more typically electronic tone. This album is quite restrained ambient, definitely something that would appeal to most people on this Forum. It's not really drone-oriented or too minimal, though, actually there's a bit of activity under the surface, and rhythmic components that are buried and subtle, more like low-key churning or cyclical sounds than "beats" in most places. Everything is very restrained and "cool" but there are none of the typical ambient-minimalism cliches here. Very pleasing material, and having heard this, I will definitely have to seek our more krill.minima and more Marsen Jules.